


yellow love.

by engineblade



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, M/M, Mental Health Issues, as well as anxiety and PTSD, nothing too triggering but Noctis is depicted as having depression
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:34:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24015289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/engineblade/pseuds/engineblade
Summary: Noctis spends his days surrounded by natural beauty, but his world is turned upside down when maybe the prettiest person he's ever seen steps into his flower shop.
Relationships: Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum
Comments: 12
Kudos: 111





	yellow love.

**Author's Note:**

> this is a rework of an old fic i have since deleted! freshly edited and significantly extended, here it is! hope you enjoy it.

Noctis fidgeted where he stood behind the register. He still had two hours left of his eight-hour shift, but time seemed to be passing slower than molasses. He’d already finished arranging all seven orders the shop had received, but his boredom had him itching to create a bouquet of his own. _Might as well pass the time, huh?_

One benefit of working at a flower shop your father owned meant being able to go home with the merchandise. Noct’s apartment made fallout from a bomb drop look tidy, but at least he always had a fresh flower arrangement on the kitchen counter to dress up the place.

Upon first meeting Noctis, most are shocked to find out he works at _Aulea’s_ , and even more shocked to discover he’s the heir to the company. Noctis always feels embarrassed when people gasp and widen their eyes, but then his major in university seems less surprising when the connections are made. Noctis grew up surrounded by flowers, and before his mother died they always went to green houses and public gardens and on exotic vacations just for the ecotourism.

Noctis first reached for a bundle of sylleblossoms, smiling as the flowers pulled a memory of a trip to Tenebrae to the forefront of his mind. Wedged between his mother and father, Noctis had met Luna and her family – dear friends of Aulea’s. _“You see those beautiful blue flowers, Noctis?”_ his mother wondered excitedly. _“Those are sylleblossoms. Native to Tenebrae, and my favourite flower!”_ She plucked one from its root and handed it to Noctis. _“They represent enthusiasm and devotion.”_ It was fitting that the logo for the shop named after his mother would feature the Tenebraen plant, and Noctis had always felt drawn to it himself. He slipped the bundle into bouquet paper and found himself some baby’s breath to fill the arrangement. It was a simple bouquet and not at all up to the shop’s standard, but Noctis didn’t want to _rob_ his place of work, whether his family owned it or not. He was on his way to tuck the bouquet in the backroom when the entrance bells chimed, announcing the arrival of a customer. In a panic, he nearly dropped the flowers when he spun around to call a greeting to the customer. “W-welcome!”

The customer at the door also seemed rather panicked, but more in the “I’m lost” sort of way and not the “I just got caught doing something I’m technically not supposed to” sort. “Anything I can help you with?” Noctis gently placed the bouquet on the cash counter and wiped his hands on his apron.

“Yeah…” the customer started. Their face was flushed, causing their freckles to stand out. They sounded out of breath, too – had they run here? “I, uh… Need some… Flowers.”

Noctis almost cracked a smirk, raising a brow. “You’re in the right place,” he offered instead. “Are they for something in particular?”

“My friend got hit by a car,” the customer deadpanned, blond bangs slightly covering an indigo eye. Noctis’ own eyes went wide, mouth opening to offer words of condolences until the other quickly added, hands raised, “He’s okay! He’s actually sort of a dumbass and it’s entirely his fault and – that doesn’t matter. I just feel bad that he’s the only one on his floor without a vase full of flowers.”

This was the most interesting thing that happened to Noctis all day. He could tell this person didn’t know much about flower arrangements – not that most of his customers did – so he knew he’d have to keep things simple and guide the other to a decision. Usually, people came in with a plan: weddings, birthdays, holidays, etc. It wasn’t every day _Aulea’s_ served a flustered blond guy that Noctis was actually intrigued by. “Your friend have a favourite colour?”

The blond pondered that for a moment. “Honestly? We’ve never really talked about that much. Blue, maybe? I don’t know though, he’s a pretty tacky guy. Got anything gaudy?”

Noctis wasn’t quite sure how to put his finger on a “gaudy” flower, at least not in the sort of way the blond’s friend might be thinking, but he had a few ideas for a gaudy arrangement. Clashing colours, no real focus, minimal filler. He was determined to go all out for the first customer they’d had in 4 hours. “How about we do an arrangement of a couple flowers that’ll make the end result, uh… Gaudy.”

The other nodded emphatically; clearly, he’d resigned his fate to Noctis and would probably buy whatever Noct whipped up for him. Noctis found it particularly amusing that the blond hadn’t gone the lazy route and picked a premade bouquet – no, he wanted a custom-made arrangement for his friend. Interesting.

Noct decided to stick with yellows, reds, and oranges – very eye-catching and over-the-top colours, and leave no room for the usual fillers. Noctis reached for orange tiger lilies, yellow snapdragons, red chrysanthemums, and even grabbed a grape hyacinth to place in the middle. “Your friend likes blue, right?” He tied a bright turquoise ribbon around the bouquet paper and handed it off to the customer.

“Thanks, man,” the blond heaved a relieved sigh, “you’re a lifesaver. You guys take debit?”

Noctis watched the customer race down the street toward the hospital and university district and wondered what kind of character the blond’s friend must be to have a friend spend _that much_ on a bouquet he didn’t even arrange himself. He finally smirked. _What a weird guy._

The last two hours remaining of Noct’s shift finally ticked past, and nothing remotely interesting happened since the freckled blond customer left. He swept fallen leaves and petals, counted the cash, wiped down the counters, and ensured all the plants that needed watering had been watered and _still_ managed to have time left to kill. He spent the last hour on his phone, tapping away mindlessly at a mobile game he’d recently become addicted to and checking his messenger app. He had a few unanswered messages – he was bad at responding to people – that he thought _maybe_ he could reply to. Two from Gladio, one from Ignis, a few from Luna, and one from Dad. Dad made him too anxious to answer, and Gladio was probably only sending a meme. Ignis was most definitely reminding Noctis of something he most definitely forgot about, so he decided to check up on Luna.

**Luna [4:42 PM]:** _How’s school going this semester?_

 **Luna [4:42 PM]:** _You’re finally in programs you enjoy, right? ^^_

Noct grinned, quickly typing up a response.

**Noct [6:37 PM]:** yup. art history & biodiversity

**Noct [6:37 PM]:** matches made in heaven

**Noct [6:38 PM]:** still got no idea what im gonna do after grad

**Luna [6:39 PM]:** There’s no rush, Noctis. I’m sure you’ll think of something – maybe even a way to combine the two! Or not at all. The future is full of opportunity.

Luna always had a way with calming Noct’s nerves; it was easy for him to get riled up and lost inside his own head, but his childhood friend was always able to pull him out. Post-grad was a pretty big anxiety for Noctis, but Luna helped to put that at ease, if only a little. He was still in second year – he had loads of time to figure out a plan. Besides, he always had owning the flower shop chain as a fallback plan.

 **Noct [6:41 PM]:** i know ur right… thanks luna ♥️

**Luna [6:43 PM]:** Of course! ^^

**Luna [6:43 PM]:** I think I’m going to get myself ready for bed now, Noctis. I’ll talk to you tomorrow! ♥️

_It’s gotta be close to midnight in Tenebrae, right?_ Noct _tsked_ ; he always forgot about the time difference. He frowned.

**Noct [6:43 PM]:** sleep well!

He had 20 more minutes to kill, but he wasn’t sure if he was in the mood to deal with the other unanswered messages. Sighing, Noct returned to his mobile game, eyes insistently flicking toward the clock so as not to miss closing time.

His apartment door finally swung open at 7:30 and Noctis couldn’t _wait_ to settle into his room with the takeout burrito he got on his way home. It was a Friday night and what was Noct planning on doing? What any university student _should_ be doing – relaxing. He was gonna watch some mindless comedy series on Netflix, eat his burrito, maybe play a video game, and most definitely sleep. At least, that was the plan until his phone rang. He quickly swapped his old flowers out of the vase and placed the new ones in before answering. He dumped the old ones into the green bin.

He checked the Caller ID and saw it was Gladio which reminded Noct he never replied to the text his friend sent. Or any of his texts – save for Luna’s – for that matter. _Oops._ After a few rings, Noct hesitantly answered the call, “What’s up, Gladio?”

“You didn’t answer my or Iggy’s messages, as per usual, so I figured I’d try and see how calling you instead would go.”

“Yeah…” Noct rubbed his neck sheepishly. “I just got in. What d’you want?”

Gladio snorted, but Noct knew he wasn’t irritated – Noct was infamous for not answering his texts, after all. “Iggy and I wanted to pull you out of your hobbit hole and get you out on the town for once.”

Noctis sighed. “I’m kinda tired today, Gladio. Maybe some other time?”

“That’s what you said last time, Noct.” This time, Ignis spoke. Noct groaned upon the realization he was on speaker phone. “We’re a little worried, that’s all. It’s important for you to socialize and be with friends once in a while, you know.”

“I just got home from work, guys. It’s been a long day.”

“All the more reason to come out and enjoy yourself. C’mon, Noct. We’re picking you up at 8:30, so get yourself ready!” Gladio’s gruff voice was the last thing Noct heard before the call ended. They were really giving him no choice here – no room to make up an excuse about homework or feeling sick. His friends meant what they said, and Noct knew they’d be here in exactly an hour. Sighing, Noct unwrapped his burrito and stuffed it into his mouth. So much for a night alone with easy comedy and a gaming session. What was so great about socializing, anyway? The crowds and noise of Friday nightlife always stressed Noctis out – it was hard to hear the people you were with over all that sound, so what was the point? Noct knew Gladio and Ignis would be dragging him out to some bar downtown and he _really_ did not care for that scene at all.

Noctis also knew, however, that there was no use in dreading the inevitable, so he resigned himself to his fate and finished off his dinner before getting out of his work clothes and throwing on the cleanest-smelling shirt he could find.

Surprisingly, Gladio and Ignis _didn’t_ drag Noctis to a bar – they decided to hit up an escape room instead. The remaining heat of summer was apparent in the September night air; Noctis had to roll the sleeves of his flannel up to accommodate for the warmth as he and his two friends made their way down the street to the escape room place. The room they picked out was a murder mystery – they were acting as detectives at a crime scene in a billiards room attempting to discern who the culprit was before they struck again. It was on the easier side of the difficulty scale, but Noct found it interesting enough. “It’s like real-life Clue,” he muttered to himself, though Gladio heard and snorted.

Miraculously, they were able to solve the mystery in record time and were asked for a photo to put on the place’s hall of fame wall for their accomplishment. Noct posed awkwardly between Ignis and Gladio who had their arms rested on his shoulders, Gladio grinning stupidly. They stuck the photo up on the wall before they left and walked down the street once more.

“Where to now?” Noctis asked, hoping they’d all decide to go home, but he knew better than to assume his friends would let him go that quickly.

“I’m kinda hungry,” Gladio offered, “isn’t there that student café that’s open late a couple blocks from here? They’ve got a good club sandwich.”

Ignis hummed. “I could certainly go for a coffee.”

Noct laughed, “I swear, Specs, your blood is probably just liquid caffeine.” Then, he shrugged. “Guess I’m down for that, too.”

Satisfied, Ignis smiled. “It’s settled then.”

The coffee shop was moderately filled with students clacking away on laptops or chatting in small groups. The trio managed to snag a table near the bar, to which Gladio and Ignis _both_ urged Noctis to place their order for them, despite how much Noctis hated doing exactly that.

“Do I have to?” he groaned, but Noct was already standing up and getting his wallet out. He didn’t mind paying for his friends, but did he have to talk to the blond guy working the cash register, too?

 _Wait a minute_. That coif of blond hair was strikingly familiar, as were the freckles and indigo eyes. Suddenly, Noctis was dreading going up a little less. Or maybe he was dreading it even more. Resigning himself, he sighed. “Whatever, but you both owe me.”

The line wasn’t too long, so Noct only had a short wait before he was reacquainted with his customer from earlier. “Hey,” he started.

“Oh how the tables have turned,” The blond joked with a grin. Noct’s eyes wandered to the name tag pinned to the guy’s apron: Prompto. His name was framed with chocobo stickers. “It’s flower guy!”

Noctis blushed, averting his gaze. “Yup, that’s me,” he muttered back sheepishly. “Didn’t realize you worked here.”

Prompto nodded. “Yeah, I got a call while on shift so I took my lunch break to get Dino – oh, my friend – some flowers and pay a visit. The idiot had me as his emergency contact, apparently. Guess he doesn’t know anybody better in Insomnia to be the person the hospital calls.” He rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling.

Noct couldn’t help but offer a smile himself, the guy’s energy was pretty contagious. “How’s he doing?”

“Not too bad. Got a broken arm but he should be out soon.” Prompto smiled brightly, pressing into the cash register. “So, what can I get you?”

Noct couldn’t help but think of Prompto as a marigold, a flower associated with the light of the sun. Prompto was maybe the brightest person he’d ever encountered, and it was almost infectious. _Almost._ Awkwardly, Noct placed his order. “Uh… Big guy over there wants a club sandwich and a medium iced tea. Specs wants a large black coffee and a cheese scone.” Noct scratched his head. “Guess I’ll have a medium caramel latte with extra syrup and, uh…” He looked into the dessert case. His mouth nearly watered. “A slice of strawberry cheesecake.”

Prompto nodded along with the order, presumably punching each order in. “No problem! That’ll be… $23.87!” 

Noctis tapped his credit card to the machine and was about to head back over to his friends at the table until Prompto asked, “Can I get a name for the order?” He had a glint in his eye, but Noctis couldn’t quite place it.

“Oh, uh, Noct is fine.”

“Noct…” Prompto contemplated that for a moment. “Short for something?”

Noct nodded. “Noctis.”

Prompto grinned. “Cool! I’ll call you when your order’s up. See ya around, Noct.”

Noctis ignored the weird way his heart froze at the sound of his name as he rejoined his friends.

“A friend of yours?” Ignis looked up from his phone as Noctis took a seat across from him.

“Customer,” Noct clarified. “Came in earlier for a hospital arrangement.”

Ignis’ eyes widened ever so slightly. “My condolences.”

Noct shrugged. “He said his friend’s an idiot and that he’s okay, so don’t worry about it.”

Gladio guffawed, then his expression turned serious. “It’s nice to have you out with us, Noct. Been a while.”

Noctis sighed. _Here we go._ They had this sort of intervention every so often – his friends would drag Noctis out, claim he was lonely and depressed, and try to solve it. Sure, Noctis was taking medication and seeing a therapist every so often, but he wasn’t in a slump. At least not right now. He was just tired from school and liked to keep to himself to recharge. “I’m fine guys, really. Maybe a little tired, but that’s usual for me, right?”

“Have you considered finding yourself a roommate yet, Noct?” Ignis questioned. So they were jumping right into _that_ today.

Noct tried to seem unbothered, but in truth he was a little irritated that his friends didn’t trust him being alone. “Dunno,” he answered, “kinda like having my own space.”

Ignis hummed, mulling it over. Prompto called for the order then, the sound of his name startling Noct, and Ignis nudged his head in the direction of the bar. “Keep thinking on it, will you?” He offered. “You know you’re more than welcome to move in with Gladio and I. I’m sure Gladio won’t mind converting the workout room into a bedroom for you again.” Gladio nodded in agreement.

“Nah, I’m good, guys.” Noct stood up from the table to retrieve their orders. He knew the conversation was only on hold, but at least he’d have a short escape.

“Hey, again,” Noct greeted, reaching for the tray of drinks and bag of food.

“Hey, hey,” Prompto replied. The line had died down, and it seemed like Prompto had some time to kill. The blond wiped his hands on his apron. “So, a florist, huh? Pretty cool gig.”

“I like flowers,” Noct admitted, ears immediately flushing red. It was embarrassing to own up to that. “Kind of a family business, though.”

“Kind of?” Prompto tilted his head.

Noctis chewed his lower lip. “Dad owns the _Aulea_ green house chain,” he answered quietly.

Prompto’s eyes widened. “No way, dude! That’s so cool. Did you, like, grow up surrounded by flowers and stuff? No wonder you knew so much!”

People never seemed this interested in the family business or in Noct’s own knowledge, so it was mildly refreshing and a little overwhelming to have someone so intrigued. Noct looked at his hands. “Yeah, my mom was the reason behind it all.”

Prompto’s expression softened, smile turning contemplative. “That’s really swee-”

“Prompto! We have customers, you know!” a voice called as the doorbells chimed. The blond deflated.

“Yikes, better get going…” He lifted his hand to wave goodbye. “Stop by again though!”

Noct smiled and nodded before bringing his friends the food. He sat back down and distributed the orders, quickly busying himself with his latte and taking a bite out of the cheesecake.

Gladio grunted, unwrapping his club sandwich. “You’re eating takeout every night and I bet you haven’t done laundry in two weeks.” It was like they _literally_ paused the conversation and Gladio abruptly pressed play. Noct had whiplash.

Gladio wasn’t wrong though, and Noct would never own up to it, either. “I cook sometimes!”

Ignis raised a brow. “I’d love to see that. Mind if we visit for dinner one night, then?” He took a sip from his coffee.

“Sure,” Noct replied haughtily. He stabbed his fork into his cheesecake and took an aggressive bite to punctuate his point.

Ignis seemed satisfied with that. “Good, how about tomorrow?”

Now Noct was getting suspicious. “I have to deal with you two goons two nights in a row? I’ll pass.” Why were his friends on his ass so hard today?

“Can’t wait,” Gladio smirked.

Noct groaned. “You’re both annoying.”

“But you love us,” Gladio retorted.

Noctis took a long sip of his drink. “Debatable.”

The topic of Noct getting a roommate and being lonely was ultimately dropped and they carried on bantering until they’d finished their meals and went their separate ways. Noctis was asked to text Ignis when he got home, to which Noctis grumbled but agreed to.

“You know I worry,” Ignis had explained softly, and Noct just waved him off.

On his way out of the coffee shop, however, he felt a tap on his shoulder. When Noctis spun around, he was face-to-face with the bright-eyed blond. “Hey!” Once again, he sounded out of breath. He still had his apron on, too, all covered in stains and stickers. “Do you have a sec?”

Noct blinked stupidly, forgetting how to speak. He simply nodded, stunned.

“I have this photography project coming up,” Prompto explained, “and your flower shop would be the _perfect_ set! We gotta do close-up nature shots and I was hoping it’d be okay to stop by and take some photos. If it’s okay, I mean!”

Noctis smiled softly. “Sure, I’m in again tomorrow. Same closing shift.”

Prompto beamed. “Perfect! I’ll stop by around noon before my shift if that’s okay?”

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

“Awesome! Take care, Noct!”

There was that frozen-feeling in Noct’s chest again. He ignored it and waved, turning to walk toward his apartment. Today had been quite the day for Noctis, and he was ready to end it with a video game and a good night’s sleep. When he woke up this morning, he certainly hadn’t anticipated meeting an out-of-breath blond buying flowers for his dumb friend in the hospital, then running into him again at _his_ workplace only to make plans to meet up again at _Aulea’s_. It was a little exhausting, but in an almost exhilarating sort of way. Chuckling softly to himself, Noct walked home.

As per the usual morning routine, Noctis groaned upon waking up. He craved just five more minutes of sleep, but he knew five would turn into fifteen and he’d be late for work. It wasn’t even an early shift: his usual 11-7, and Iris would be there, too. And Prompto.

_Oh Six._

He forgot Iris worked with him on weekends, and she’d definitely have a mouthful to say about Prompto coming in. Why were all of Noct’s friends so insufferably annoying? He sighed, rolling out of bed and making for the washroom.

The September sun was warm as Noct walked down the street toward the shop. The city streets were abuzz with people enjoying the remnants of summer, though Noct looked forward to the cool autumn air just around the corner. He ducked through the door of the shop and was greeted by a very giddy Iris.

“Good morning!”

He couldn’t help but smile. Iris could be overwhelming, but he loved the girl like a sister. She practically was one. “Morning, Iris. How’s the shop been this morning?”

“Surprisingly busy. Lots of people coming in just to admire the arrangements. Made a few sales, too! We have that wedding order to do, too, if you wanted to take over that while I deal with the front!”

Normally, Noctis would love to hide away and work on arranging a big order. Iris was always better with customers, anyway. But with Prompto coming in an hour, he hesitated. “Actually, Iris, mind if I take front? I’m expecting someone to drop by.”

Iris’ eyes practically had sparkles in them and Noctis wished he could take it back. “You are?! Who?!”

His face flushed. “A friend. You don’t know him.”

“What’s his name?”

“ _Iris._ ”

“We share a name? Cool.” She snickered.

Noctis sighed, defeated. “Prompto. He’ll be here in an hour. I’ll take over the order when he leaves.”

“Nuh-uh! You already called dibs on front!” With that, Iris scurried to the backroom to deal with the wedding order, leaving an embarrassed Noctis to man the rest of the shop.

A few people wandered into the shop, phones out to take pictures, before Prompto arrived. Weekends were usually like this; lots of people were out roaming the streets, and _Aulea’s_ was quite the pretty sight, if Noctis did say so himself. He’d offer smiles and a quiet “take your time” while fiddling around with the displays, watering plants that needed watering and misting the others. When Prompto finally did show up – at noon sharp, prompt and true to his name – Noctis could have sworn that time stopped entirely.

The bells chimed and there stood the blond, outlined by the glowing sun. He was beaming and looking straight at Noctis, indigo eyes shining. A nice-looking camera was strung around his neck.

“Hey, Noct!” Time picked up again as the door closed behind him.

Noctis smiled, catching his breath. “Hey.”

“I promise I won’t be too much of a bother – I’ll be quick!”

“No, no,” Noctis assured, maybe a little too quickly. He cleared his throat. “I mean, you can take as long as you need. Really. It’s no bother. We get lots of people coming in wanting to take pictures anyway. _Aulea’s_ is quite a hit with Instagrammers.”

Prompto awed at the shop. “Can’t really blame them. It’s a beautiful shop.”

Noctis rubbed his neck. “Thanks. I do most of the displays.”

“I can tell!” Prompto grinned, clapping Noctis on the shoulder. He lifted up his camera and walked up to a sylleblossom display that Noctis was particularly fond of. Sylleblossoms stood elegantly in the centre flanked by marigolds and topped off with a scattering of lilies-of-the-valley. “What are these flowers?” Prompto turned to face Noctis, eager to learn.

“The blue ones are sylleblossoms,” Noctis explained. “It represents enthusiasm and devotion. The red and yellow flowers are marigolds which have a few meanings. Some people think they represent jealousy and cruelty, but they can also symbolize passion and wealth. The little white flowers are lilies of the valley which represent purity.” Noctis scratched his head. “But flowers don’t always have to have a deeper meaning – sometimes you can just appreciate how they look and that’s fine, too.”

Prompto blinked, awestricken. “You’re amazing.”

Noctis’ eyes widened, the tips of his ears were on fire. Had he heard that right?

“ _That’s_ amazing! You know so much just off the top of your head!”

“It’s kinda dumb…” Noctis was fully embarrassed now.

“Not at all, dude!” Prompto placed his hands on Noct’s shoulders. “Seriously, it’s so cool that you know these things. I always knew flowers had meaning, but I never bothered to learn about it. Knowing their meanings though…” Prompto looked over his shoulder, back at the arrangement he’d just photographed. “It kinda adds meaning to this project, y’know? I’ll totally be talking about it in my write-up for it!”

Noctis couldn’t help but smile. He’d never gotten such an enthusiastic response before; he’d remember that the next time he wanted to impress Prompto.

It dawned on Noctis that it was strange he wanted to impress someone so much, especially someone he’d just met. There was just something special about Prompto – the way he drew Noctis’ attention, the way he listened so closely to every word Noct said. Noctis was determined to keep the blond around. He only hoped his jerk friends didn’t eventually scare him away.

“Feel free to wander around the shop. We sell indoor trees and stuff, too, if you want some shots of those.”

Prompto nodded enthusiastically, bounding around the shop, camera in hand.

It only took Iris half an hour to finally peak her head out from the backroom to spy on Noctis and his friend. Friend. Something stirred in Noct’s stomach as he considered how easily he referred to Prompto as a friend. It was nerve-wracking, but maybe a little exciting, too.

“Noooooctis!” Iris called, “can you come back here for a minute?”

Noctis sighed, which urged Prompto to ask what was up. “I didn’t realize you had coworkers.” He chuckled. “But, of course you would. It’s a big shop, and all. Everything okay?”

“I’m sure everything is _fine._ ” With that, he walked over to Iris who quickly grabbed him by the arm and dragged him back to Prompto.

“Aren’t you gonna introduce me to this customer? You’re giving him an awful lot of special attention!”

Prompto and Noctis both blushed. Noctis, too embarrassed to speak, was relieved when Prompto answered for him. He let his camera hang around his neck once more, extending his now free hand to Iris. “I’m Prompto. Nice to meet you.”

Iris beamed. “I’m Iris! Y’know, Noctis kept me locked up in the backroom _all by myself_ to work on a huge wedding order! Isn’t he so mean?”

Noctis groaned. “You offered!” 

Iris _tsked_. Prompto laughed. Noctis should’ve seen the teasing coming. “You couldn’t even introduce me to your special customer!”

Noctis shot her a pleading look, silently begging her to stop calling Prompto _special_ before Noct fully combusted. He’d just met the guy. What was the big deal? Something flashed across Prompto’s face, but Noct couldn’t quite read it. “Iris, Prompto. Prompto, Iris. There. All introduced. Now get back to that order.”

“I’m _bored_ ,” Iris whined. “It’s lonely back there! I don’t know how you manage to hole yourself up in the backroom every weekend, you hermit.”

Noctis groaned. Gladio and Ignis weren’t the only ones who pestered Noctis for his rather reclusive ways.

“Every weekend?” Prompto urged. Noctis ran his hand down his face. Oh no.

“ _Every_ weekend! He only works front of shop when he’s by himself but the second there’s a co-worker, he hides away in the back for eight hours. Just him and the flowers.” Iris’ tone was teasing.

“It’s probably not so lonely,” Prompto mused, “I mean. The flowers in here are so full of life, I’m sure that’s enough company.”

Noctis blinked, mesmerised by Prompto’s words. He’d hit the nail on the head with that one. Yeah, Noctis didn’t mind being alone with the flowers at all, because he hardly felt alone with them in the first place. It was better company than customers, and he had the freedom to talk to himself, think to himself, and reflect. He wouldn’t mention that he often felt more connected to his late mother when no one else was around, just him and the flowers she had adored so much.

“Yeah…” was all he managed to reply, thoughts trailing. He dared a look at Prompto, eyes shining bright and a warm smile on his face. The guy was sunshine incarnate, rays of light radiating off of him and threatening to burn Noctis. He looked away, gaze cast downward at his feet, as if staring at Prompto for too long would render him blind.

“Whoa! You guys have sunflowers!” Prompto knocked Noctis out of his stupor, following Prompto’s pointed finger, gesturing towards tall sunflowers growing in the front corner of the shop, facing the window as sunlight beamed in. _Aulea’s_ was lucky to be south-facing. “Always thought it was so cool how they always face the sun.”

Noctis himself could relate, as he found it difficult to take his eyes off of Prompto in that moment. He was full of excited, positive energy, and Noctis couldn’t get enough of it. Like a sunflower, he felt himself drawn to Prompto’s light. It was embarrassing, but Noctis was mesmerised.

“Mhmm,” Iris answered, skipping over to the sunflowers and adjusting the beams they were each tied to, ensuring they stayed upright. “They’re meant to be starters. They’ll grow a lot bigger outside, but we keep some on hand.”

“You guys both sure know your stuff,” Prompto complimented, snapping a few shots of the yellow flowers, angling his camera so the light hit just right.

“Noct taught me everything I know,” Iris beamed, circling back to Noctis’ side and elbowing him in the rib. “He’s the brains of the operation.”

“Huh.” Prompto’s eyes bore into Noct’s, that infectious bright smile stretching his lips and exposing pearly teeth. Noctis could barely keep himself composed under the blond’s gaze, feeling himself flushing more and more each second. When Prompto turned away to snap a few more pictures, Noctis let go of a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding. He cleared his throat.

“Remember to tag us if you upload those photos!” Iris squeaked. She pulled a business card out of her apron pocket, handing it over to Prompto. The card outlined their contact information and social media profiles. Iris was always promoting their Instagram and Facebook, probably because she helped run the pages and always looked forward to commenting on customer’s posts.

“I definitely will!” Prompto declared. “Oh, that reminds me – do you have any socials, Noct?” The blond let his camera hang around his neck, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone. He swiped on the screen a few times to unlock the device before looking back at Noct. Then, he sheepishly added, “And you too, Iris. The more the merrier! I’m trying to start a photography business, so the more word I can get out there, the better.”

Noctis felt himself freeze again. Exchanging socials felt intimate. It was a way to peer into someone’s life, and Noctis was actually quite active on social media. He was no photographer, certainly not up to Prompto’s calibre by the sound of things, but he did frequently update his Instagram. It was a way for Noct to connect with others. He had trouble doing that face-to-face, but communicating online and sharing his life there felt different, easier. Maybe it was a good thing he and Prompto were going to gain access to each other in this way. But maybe it wasn’t. Noctis was nervous, swallowing a lump that had formed.

“You scratch our back, we’ll scratch yours!” Iris replied happily, quickly typing into Prompto’s phone, probably making him follow her personal account and the shop’s account.

When Prompto handed Noctis his phone, Instagram open on the screen, indigo eyes eager, Noctis took it hesitantly. He had a decent following on Instagram, and had made a few friends in the process. Noct wasn’t necessarily ashamed of his life, but it always felt weird when people he’d met in real life collide with his online presence. His page was filled with pictures of all of Noct’s interests, from video game clips to guitar covers to pictures of the flower arrangements that decorated his apartment. He realized he’d forgotten to share a photo of his cheesecake from the night before, something under normal circumstances he would have posted. But he’d been a bit distracted and caught off guard by a certain blond.

Noct typed his username into the search bar and hovered his thumb over the follow button. This felt like a big step, and it was making Noctis a little queasy. Taking a deep breath, he pressed the button and abruptly handed Prompto his phone back.

Prompto grinned, swiping a finger up the screen, eyes widening. “Whoa, dude! You play guitar too?”

Noctis perked up at that, ears turning pink. He hadn’t expected to share an interest with Prompto. “Yeah.”

“I’m pretty shabby, but I’ll have to check out your stuff,” Prompto looked up at Noctis, that sunshine smile was radiant. Noct couldn’t look away this time. Then, his voice got quieter, a little sheepish. “Y’know, I’d love to shoot you while playing sometime. It’d make for some really good photos.”

Noctis could _feel_ Iris’s shit-eating grin next to him. He pointedly ignored her. “Yeah, sure.” Heat rose in his cheeks.

“Awesome!” Prompto cheered. “We gotta meet up sometime when we aren’t both working.”

Noctis busied his hands with the pocket on his apron, fingers rubbing the hem. “Yeah.” He swallowed. “I’d like that.”

Prompto’s face lit up. “Really?!”

Noctis couldn’t stop the blush from blooming across his face. “S-sure, if you want to.”

“It’s a date!”

He’d said the word so easily, and there’s no way he meant it like _that_ , but a chill ran down Noct’s spine and his stomach lurched. He had it bad. There was no denying it anymore. This sunshine boy he’d met only a day prior had Noct’s affection in a vice grip. “Yeah,” Noctis barely choked out.

“Oh, shit,” Prompto hissed, pocketing his phone. “I gotta run to work now. But hey, Noct, I’ll message you on Instagram and we can talk more about music and stuff!” He grinned. “Thanks for letting me take photos! See ya!” Without waiting for a response, the blond darted out of the shop and down the street to the nearby café Noctis now knew the other worked at. Noct’s eyes followed him out the door and watched him race down the sidewalk, a small hint of a smile on his face.

Iris elbowed him in the side again. “Noct, buddy, I’ve never seen you look at _anyone_ like that before.”

Noctis refused to even entertain her. “I’m taking backroom duty.” Not offering Iris a chance to respond, he ducked into the backroom to tend to the rest of the wedding order.

Noct was relieved that Iris left him alone for the rest of the shift. Prompto’s visit had been more overwhelming than anticipated, and Noctis had a lot of emotions to process. He needed the space, and he needed to do so without an audience, just him and the array of flowers. He’d poke out every now and then to retrieve materials and other flowers, meticulously organizing everything so it was ready for pick-up the following morning to take to the wedding venue.

Busying himself with the flowers momentarily distracted him from his emotions, but they were beginning to bubble over. He’d had crushes before, of course, but never one so strong and so fast. Noctis loved looking at pretty things. He developed fleeting crushes all the time, from celebrities to artists he learned about to pedestrians on the street. But they were simply that: fleeting. Never anything lasting. Hell, he’d never even been in a proper relationship before. The thing is, Prompto was maybe the prettiest thing he’d ever seen. Like a beautiful flower arrangement, Noctis was mesmerised and couldn’t look away. And that was scary to acknowledge, especially since Prompto was making a point of being part of Noct’s life now.

His phone buzzed suddenly, shaking his thoughts away. He wiped his hands on his apron and slid the device out of his pocket. It was an Instagram notification. From Prompto.

**promptoargentum liked your photo.**

Noctis swiped the notification to see which photo the blond had liked. To his surprise, it wasn’t super recent – it was a post from July. Noctis rarely posted photos of himself out of cosplay, but this was one such photo. It was a dumb selfie he’d taken at Galdin Quay, Ignis and Gladio flanking him Noctis had sunglasses on, lips pursed and cheeks puffed out, a beer in hand. Gladio was uproariously laughing, and even Ignis looked like he was enjoying himself, hair disheveled and wet from the ocean.

Was Prompto going through his feed when he was supposed to be working? Noct’s stomach swirled, butterflies incessantly flapping their wretched wings, tickling his insides. He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to centre himself when another notification buzzed on his phone, this time a direct message from Prompto.

 **Prompto [2:36 PM]:** so good to see you again today dude! thanks for letting me bug ya ;)

 **Prompto [2:36 PM]:** your instagram is dope! all your covers are rad, too, can’t wait to hear them in person

Noctis hesitated, flushing at the compliments. He didn’t wanna leave the guy on read, but he felt a little bit embarrassed, unsure how to respond. Maybe he’d reply after he took a peek at Prompto’s feed. He tapped Prompto’s icon and he was taken to Prompto’s page. Noctis was stunned by the professionalism of Prompto’s account compared to Noctis’. He used his full name, had a proper bio that _wasn’t_ just meme. And his posts… Wow. Noctis was blown away by the photos. They were incredible; his feed was so put together.

 **Noct [2:38 PM]:** yours is dope too. you’re really a photographer, huh?

 **Prompto [2:38 PM]:** this is just my photography acc. i’ve got a more personal one if you wanna follow that too

 **Noct [2:39 PM]:** yeah sure, might make me feel better about mine being all over the place

Prompto’s next message was a link to his other account. This account was a stark contrast to his photography account. Meme for a bio, selfie as his icon, and most of the posts were obviously phone camera shots. Selfies, pictures of food, the usual stuff you’d find in a more personal account. Noctis tapped on a photo of Prompto and a silver-haired girl. She was all decked out in cosplay armour while Prompto was wearing a cosplay of his own, but nothing as elaborate as the woman’s. He was dressed in relatively casual clothes, a pink wig replacing his blonde hair. Noctis guessed he was dressed as a character from an anime or something. The caption read “two different kinds of cosplay.” Noctis pressed the like button. He read through the comments, finding one from Prompto. “Aranea’s armour commissions are open for business! Give her account a follow.” Curiously, Noct tapped onto her profile. He recognized her – she was a featured cosplayer at a lot of cons. She did it for a living, and her get-ups were always phenomenal. Armour was kind of her thing.

Noctis flipped back to the messages he had with Prompto. He was about to ask how he knew Aranea, when he received a message from Prompto.

 **Prompto [2:40 PM]:** you got discord? easier to talk there tbh

Noctis smirked slightly. The guy _must_ be on his break to be able to chat this much. Still, Noctis obliged, sending Prompto his username. Moments later, a new notification popped up from Discord that he’d received a friend request from Prompto.

 **Noct [2:40 PM]:** you on break or something?

 **Prompto [2:40 PM]:** yeah :P what about you?

 **Noct [2:41 PM]:** just in the backroom. switched with iris

 **Prompto [2:41 PM]:** hiding from customers?

 **Noct [2:41 PM]:** you could say that

Noctis sighed, remembering the real reason he came to the backroom. He needed to recharge and process his emotions. Sunshine smile filled his mind’s eye, and he found himself blushing again. Stupid crush.

 **Prompto [2:42 PM:** you’re lucky you can hide in a backroom! i’m constantly confronted by strangers and they watch me make their drinks

 **Prompto [2:42 PM]:** it is HELL

Noctis didn’t peg Prompto as the type to dislike social interaction. He seemed so bright and cheery.

 **Noct [2:42 PM]:** really? you seem like such a natural people person

 **Prompto [2:42 PM]:** fake it til ya make it, dude

Huh. Noctis filed that fact away to ponder later.

 **Prompto [2:43 PM]:** well i gotta get back now! talk to you later! :D

 **Noct [2:43 PM]:** talk to you later

 **Noct [2:43 PM]:** :)

Noctis tossed his phone on the counter in front of him. He couldn’t figure out why replying with a smiley face caused him so much embarrassment, but it did. This crush was getting out of hand – he’d barely known the guy 24 hours. But that sunshine energy was so warm and welcoming, Noctis was swept up into it. He couldn’t resist, he picked his phone back up and returned to Prompto’s private Instagram profile. Noct had to be careful; creeping Instagrams was a dangerous game and he didn’t want to accidentally like a photo from years ago or something. He just wanted to see that smile one more time. That smile of marigolds and sunflowers, that smile that shook Noct to his very core. He scrolled down, lingering longer on Prompto’s selfies than he should have, and fanboying just a tad at all the photos of Aranea until he came across a post that really caught his attention. It was a video in black and white, Prompto sitting on a bed with a guitar. Noctis tapped the post to watch it and was instantly mesmerised. He didn’t know what he could have possibly done to prepare for what came next.

Prompto gently strummed the strings of the guitar, playing a series of chords. He had a serious look on his face, like he was deep in thought or concentrating. Then he opened his mouth, and the sound that came out made Noctis freeze. Prompto was singing, performing a cover of “If I Had a Gun.” Prompto’s voice was perfect for the song. It wasn’t a trained voice, but the rough edges of each word he sang had a certain charm to it and Noctis was hooked. It wasn’t a long video – not long enough, Noct silently complained – but it was enough for Noctis to confirm that this crush was real and Prompto was breathtaking.

He very quickly closed out of the app, suddenly feeling overwhelmed by a rush of emotions. He tossed his phone on the ground and found himself fidgeting, restless. He needed to busy himself with the flowers again, centre himself, find a sense of calm. He abruptly got back to work, eyebrows knit together as he placed flowers in white vases and tied the bride’s bouquet with white lace and a pastel pink ribbon.

Noct hadn’t even heard Iris come in, nor was he aware that he was humming “If I Had a Gun” until Iris swung the door open. “Hey Noct, I’m gonna take my break—” She cut herself off. “What’cha humming there, Noct?”

“What?” He blinked several times, giving his head a little shake. “Oh.” He cleared his throat, embarrassed. “Nothing.”

Iris eyed him, brown orbs nothing but slits, but she let it go. “I’m gonna chill back here for fifteen. You take the front.”

“Sure.” Noct placed the bouquet down and took to the front of the store, phone forgotten on the counter.

The rest of Noct’s shift went by relatively quickly. Customers were in and out, some actually making purchases. He made a few sales on mini orchids and other small house plants, a couple sales on premade bouquets for walk-ins and handed off an arrangement for one woman who’d placed an order previously. Iris had refused to let him back into the back room, claiming she wanted the peace and quiet today while pointing out Noctis _had_ offered to look after the front of the store today. Noctis was a little too out of it to put up a fight, so he obliged. When the store finally quieted down, he reached into his pocket to check his phone, only to realize it wasn’t there. _Must’ve left it out back._ He ducked into the backroom and there was Iris, giggling to herself, holding up Noct’s phone, the screen lit up with notifications.

Horror struck Noct. “What did you do?!”

Iris giggled more. “Nothing! But I think our special customer from earlier has something he wants to tell you!” She placed the phone down on the counter and skipped out of the room. “I’ll let you take a break now, before I have to leave at 6!”

Hurriedly, Noctis raced to his phone and snatched it up, eyes widening upon the notifications lighting up on his screen. They were Discord messages, all from Prompto.

 **Prompto [5:30 PM]:** oh god you saw that video? T_____T

 **Prompto [5:30 PM]:** i’ve been meaning to delete it it’s so bad and embarrassing it was the first cover i ever did

 **Prompto [5:31 PM]:** completely forgot about it until now T________T

Noctis’ heart was beating a mile a minute. He quickly opened Instagram to find the post in question. There it was, still on the post when he opened the app. And to his horror, Noctis had liked the post.

A post from a year ago.

Buried in Prompto’s feed.

Noctis could have cried. How could he _possibly_ remedy this situation? He had no idea what to say, how to save himself from the shame. He’d been caught in the act of creeping Prompto’s profile. He’d embarrassed Prompto and embarrassed himself in turn. What the fuck was he going to do?

 **Prompto [5:32 PM]:** what’d you think tho? noel gallagher would probably strangle me for butchering his song

Without thinking, Noctis quickly replied. Something about Prompto being self-deprecating didn’t sit well with Noct. Putting your music out there was a vulnerable thing, and Noct just wanted to lift the guy up. And honestly, it was _good_.

 **Noct [5:32 PM]:** i thought it was really good

 **Noct [5:32 PM]:** you should post more covers

 **Noct [5:32 PM]:** full ones

Noctis died on the inside, full of complete and utter disbelief in himself. What was he even saying?

 **Prompto [5:33 PM]:** you really think so? ^^

 **Prompto [5:33 PM]:** that means a lot, thanks dude

 **Prompto [5:34 PM]:** any requests for my number one fan? ;)

He choked, sputtering. Thank the Six this conversation was happening over text; his face was beet red now. Noctis took a deep breath and pressed on. He’d already dug himself a hole, so why not lie in it?

 **Noct [5:35 PM]:** yeah dude

 **Noct [5:35 PM]:** i’d say ur voice is better than noel’s tbh

He’d really done it now. He eyed the store entrance, half hoping a customer would walk in to keep him busy, half hoping nobody walked in at all, leaving him to converse with Prompto in his own little world.

 **Prompto [5:36 PM]:** DUDE T_______T

 **Prompto [5:36 PM]:** that’s so sweet omg

Sweet…? Noctis wanted to curl up and die. This was all too much. His skin felt fiery hot, like he’d just stepped into a scorching desert. He couldn’t handle this, he felt himself getting overwhelmed. His breaths were short and quick, heartrate faster than a jackrabbit’s. He needed to calm down. He paced the store, one hand squeezing his phone and the other hand involuntarily flexing and unflexing. Noct approached the collection of sylleblossoms, shakily stroking delicate petals. He tightly shut his eyes and tried to think of anything other than Prompto’s smile. He couldn’t.

 **Prompto [5:38 PM]:** so what music do you listen to?

Topic change. Phew. Noctis felt himself start to come down from the height of his nerves. A simple question. He had a simple answer.

 **Noct [5:38 PM]:** anything really

 **Noct [5:38 PM]:** my favourite band right now is probably citizen

 **Prompto [5:39 PM]:** oh cool!! i’ll have to check them out ^^

 **Prompto [5:39 PM]:** what’s a good song by them?

Noctis said the first song that came to his mind when he thought about Prompto.

 **Noct [5:39 PM]:** it’s a bit different from their usual stuff but i like yellow love

He instantly regretted it. Since when was he such a sap?

 **Prompto [5:40 PM]:** i’ll give it a listen after my shift! thanks :)

 **Noct [5:40 PM]:** :)

 **Prompto [5:41 PM]:** i should probably get back to work T____T talk to you when my shift ends!

Noct wouldn’t admit he was looking forward to it.

Iris didn’t bother Noctis and the remaining twenty minutes of her shift ended without incident. She surprisingly didn’t pester him about Prompto, but she did giggle on her way out the door. Noct watched her walk toward the subway station, a skip in her step. She flashed him a wink through the window and stuck her tongue out, then raced down the street. Noctis sighed. He had an hour to kill before close, and he hoped he wouldn’t have to deal with too many customers in the remaining time. He’d spend it sweeping up fallen leaves and petals, and rearranging the flower displays, most likely. And with luck, nobody would disturb him.

Luckily, he didn’t have any customers. Unluckily, he had to deal with worse.

“Noct!” came the booming, low voice of Gladio as the doorbells chimed. Ignis was in tow. Astrals, the two were inseparable.

“Have you had a pleasant shift, Noct?” was the dignified greeting from Ignis.

Noct groaned. “What are you two doing here?”

“We’re going to the bar when you close up,” Gladio told, not asked. They never asked.

“Why?”

“Because it’s Saturday!” Gladio whooped. “Saturdays are for drinking.”

Noctis sighed. He wasn’t gonna win this fight, and he didn’t have it in him to push his luck. “Alright, fine.”

Ignis smiled. “Glad to hear it.”

“Can you two bozos leave me alone now so I can close up? I gotta call this wedding planner.”

Ignis and Gladio nodded diligently, but made no move to exit the store. Noctis sighed.

Noct closed up with ease. The phone call went well; someone would be there in the morning to pick up the wedding order. Noctis quickly scribbled a note to leave for Iris in to let her know. All he had left to do was flip the sign to “closed” and lock the door. He shoved Ignis and Gladio out, hanging his apron up by the counter, and locked up. He gave himself a once over and wasn’t super impressed by his outfit, but he doubted Gladio and Ignis would let him go home and change. Whatever, it didn’t matter all that much. The black jeans and black t-shirt combo was Noct’s signature look, anyway.

“How was your day today?” Ignis asked as the trio walked down the road to their usual bar. It was nothing fancy, a low-lit pub with greasy food and graffiti all over every table and booth that usually had sports on the televisions for Gladio to cheer at. There was an upstairs portion that had a bar and a few tables, the rest of the room a dance floor for live music and theme nights. Saturdays was Emo Night. Noctis had gone quite a few times over the summer, Gladio and Ignis humouring his music tastes. They got pretty into it since the DJ played throwbacks from grade school days, so it wasn’t like they didn’t know any of the songs. Noctis wondered if they’d spend the night upstairs or downstairs tonight. He was feeling a bit socially drained, but there was nothing like headbanging to nostalgic music. He’d let the guys decide, as per usual.

“Good,” was Noct’s simple answer. His eyes scanned over the familiar buildings lining the street. He smirked a little, lowly adding, “Prompto came by again.”

“Prompto?” Gladio’s head whipped around to stare Noctis down. “That the blond guy from the café?”

“Mhm,” Noct hummed. They were always going on about how he needed to make friends, so Noct figured he’d rub it in their faces that he was capable of doing so.

The bar came into view and Ignis held the door open for them Gladio ducked in first with Noct close behind, waiting for Ignis. They were regulars, and the waitress, Cindy, directed them to their usual booth. Noct slid in flush against the wall. He didn’t even bother looking at the menu, he knew he wanted chicken tenders and fries with a beer. Gladio and Ignis, however, weren’t such creatures of habit, and both decided to scan the menu for something.

“What’s Prompto like?” Ignis asked, looking up from the menu and at Noctis. Gladio chuckled, nudging Noct from beside.

“Pretty cool,” Noct answered, lifting his chin a bit. He felt proud, despite barely knowing the guy. But based on what he knew so far, he could honestly say the blond <i>was</i> cool.

“How so?”

“He’s a photographer, he plays guitar, he’s into video games… I dunno, don’t know him well yet. But he seems cool.” Noct shrugged, turning away to see where Cindy had gone off to. She cast him a smile and approached their table. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and placed it on the table, screen in view.

“What can I get y’all?” she asked, voice honey sweet.

“Chicken tenders and fries,” Noct answered easily, “and a pint of today’s special.”

Cindy hummed, scribbling on her notepad. She looked to Ignis next. “I’ll have the burger with sweet potato fries and... a gin and tonic, please.”

“Rum and coke for me. And I’ll take a plate of nachos.” Gladio grinned up at the waitress. Nachos were, of course, typically a shared dish, but the big guy really could finish an entire plate to himself. Cindy didn’t question it. She never did.

“Sounds good, boys! I’ll have your drinks here in a sec.” She flashed a bright smile and wandered off to ring their order up.

“So he’s a cool guy, huh?” Gladio asked. “You better properly introduce us soon.”

Noctis rolled his eyes. “Am I not allowed to have friends other than you guys? First you tell me to make my own friends, then you tell me you want to meet them. Make up your minds.”

Ignis adjusted his glasses, pushing them further up his nose. “We would just like to meet him, that’s all. He seems to have piqued your interest quite a bit.” Ignis’s lips curled in the slightest smirk. “Expecting a call?”

Noct, who hadn’t noticed he’d been eyeing his phone, abruptly looked away. “No,” he muttered defensively. He worried his lip between his teeth. He couldn’t lie to Ignis and Gladio, they always saw right through him. “…Maybe?”

Gladio threw an arm around Noct’s shoulders, pulling him into his side. “’Atta boy, Noct! You and this Prompto have really hit it off!”

Noct’s face went red. He hadn’t even **said** who he was waiting to hear from. “Shut up,” was all he could say for himself.

Ignis hummed, folding his hands on the table. “Tell us more.” Ever the gossip, Ignis was.

“Maybe after a drink,” Noct offered, watching as Cindy returned with their beverage orders. She placed the pint glass on a coaster and within seconds, Noct was guzzling it back. He’d need it to get through a night of his friends nagging him about this nuisance of a crush he had.

Two and a half beers later, Noctis was ready to share a bit more with his friends. Gladio had all but inhaled his nachos while Ignis was still working on his fries, and Noctis was picking at his remaining chicken tender that lay atop a half-eaten bed of fries. Gladio and Ignis had taken the hint to not bug Noctis until he was ready to be bugged, instead chatting about their work week and other things that Noctis wasn’t really paying attention to. His mind was wandering, eyes downcast on his phone when finally, it lit up with a Discord notification.

“That him?” Gladio asked before sipping his rum and coke. He was on his third.

Ignis hummed, finishing off his own drink. He placed the empty glass down gently. “What did he say?”

 **Prompto [8:01 PM]:** PHEW!! freedom!!

Noctis smiled on accident, paused, and fixed his lips into a frown, rolling his eyes at his friends. “He just got off work.”

“And he texts you immediately?” Gladio snorted, shit-eating grin on his face. He was so much like his sister.

“He said he would,” Noctis grumbled, quickly typing a response.

 **Noct [8:01 PM]:** nice! how was the rest of your shift?

 **Prompto [8:01 PM]:** hectic! so many frappuccinos T_____T

Noctis chuckled.

 **Prompto [8:01 PM]:** what are you up to?

 **Noct [8:02 PM]:** just at the bar with a couple friends

“What are you saying?” Gladio asked, leaning in to see Noct’s phone screen. Noct swatted at him, but the big guy was relentless. He smirked. “You should invite him here.”

Noctis groaned, “Why can’t I just have a friend that isn’t associated with you guys?”

“We’d like to meet him properly, Noct, that’s all,” Ignis replied instead. Noct swore they had a hivemind or something. Always in sync, always ganging up on him together.

Fine. Noct knocked back the rest of his beer and pressed on.

 **Noct [8:02 PM]:** you should drop by if you can

He dropped his phone on the table and internally combusted. What was he doing? Gladio bellowed a laugh.

 **Prompto: [8:03 PM]:** oh sure!! i’d love to!!

 **Prompto: [8:03 PM]:** what bar??

Noctis typed the address into the message bar and hit send, anxiously awaiting Prompto’s reply. Galdio waved Cindy over for another round of drinks. They’d be here a while.

“Please shut up and don’t embarrass me when he gets here,” Noctis pleaded with his friends. “I’m honestly _begging_.”

Ignis smiled, and it was warm rather than teasing. “We wouldn’t, Noct.”

“Speak for yourself!” Gladio joked, clapping Noct on the back. “Nah, we’ll behave. We can tell you like this guy, and we wouldn’t do anything to ruin that. Have a little faith in us, Noct.”

Noct exhaled, slouching in his chair. He aggressively grabbed his remaining chicken tender and bit a chunk off, chewing thoughtfully. “Fine,” he mumbled around a mouthful of breaded chicken.

 **Prompto [8:05 PM]:** there in a jiffy!

Prompto wasn’t kidding. He showed up maybe five minutes later, which wasn’t too shocking, given the proximity of the café and the bar. Everything was all in walking distance in the university district. Still, Prompto must’ve ran to get here as fast as he did.

Blond hair ducked into the dimly lit bar, gazing around. Ignis’ back was to the entrance, but Gladio and Noct had a view of the front of the bar. Gladio waved Prompto over emphatically, Noct trying desperately not to stare, but as per usual, he was drawn in.

Prompto had a white t-shirt on with a red flannel over top, unbuttoned, and a pair of black jeans on. Noctis noticed stains on his pants, probably spillage from the frappuccinos Prompto had been stuck making. When Prompto spotted their table, he beamed, jogging over and sliding in next to Ignis.

“Hey guys!” Prompto greeted, face a little flushed and voice sounding slightly out of breath. “I’m Prompto, we pseudo-met yesterday!”

Ignis nodded his head in greeting, “Ignis. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Prompto.”

“Gladio. Nice to meet ya,” big guy grunted with a grin.

“You guys planning on going up to Emo Night?” Prompto asked, gesturing towards the staircase that led upstairs. The event wouldn’t start until closer to 10.

Ignis cast a glance at Noctis, leaving the answer up to him. “We could,” Noct said simply, “if you want to.”

Prompto smiled. “Sure! Haven’t been in a while. Used to do the weekend event photography for this place over the summer, actually,” he mentioned, sheepishly.

Was everything this guy did so impressive? From music to photography, he was checking all of Noct’s boxes. “Awesome,” Noct beamed, blue eyes shining into indigo, even in the dim light. “Yeah, sure, let’s head up later.”

“Sweet,” Prompto agreed, smiling. They held gazes for a long moment.

“How’d you two meet?” Gladio asked, breaking the silence. Noct averted his gaze, focusing instead on the empty pint glass in front of him. Cindy would come around to retrieve and replace their empty drinks any minute now.

“Well it all started when my idiot friend Dino got hit by a car,” Prompto began with a laugh. He went into great detail about how frustrated and worried he was, how when he visited Dino he felt bad for the guy not having flowers like the rest of the patients, and since his family was all out of town, he had nobody else visiting him. “I did what any person would do and raced to the nearest flower shop,” Prompto admitted rather humbly, completely unaware of how extraordinary he was. Noct’s chin rested in his hand, drawn into the way Prompto spoke. He used his hands, his facial expressions were so easy to read, and his eyes crinkled when he smiled. Noctis couldn’t help but smile, too. “Haven’t known Dino too long, met him in my journalism program, but man, it doesn’t take long to learn he’s a magnet for disaster.” Prompto chuckled, and something warm stirred in the pit of Noct’s belly. The sensation made his whole body tingle. He decided he loved that laugh. 

“He’s okay though, yeah?” Gladio confirmed.

Prompto waved it off. “Oh, yeah, he got discharged today. Totally fine. Save for the broken arm and all.”

“He was barely there overnight and you still bought him flowers,” Ignis mused, “How thoughtful.”

Noctis nodded. Cindy came around with fresh drinks and he graciously took a sip of his beer. She looked over at Prompto and beamed. “Heya, Prompto! Long time no see. What’ll it be?”

Prompto grinned back at her. “Cindy! How’s it goin’? I’ll just have the usual.”

Cindy’s eyes crinkled, a pleasant smile on her face as she looked from Noctis to Prompto. “Didn’t know you knew these fellas, Prompto. They’re here all the time.”

“New friends,” Prompto explained, smiling. “Great company.”

Noctis felt his ears go red.

“I’ll say,” Cindy winked. “I’ll be right back with your drink, Prom.” She sauntered off toward the bar.

Noctis took another drink before speaking again. “Prompto came running in,” he started, “and asked for the gaudiest arrangement.”

Prompto laughed, hint of embarrassment. “Didn’t really know what I was getting myself into, but Noct’s an _expert_ , so I was in good hands.”

Noctis smiled, looking away. “I just picked the brightest shit we had, ‘s all.”

Prompto’s gaze bore into Noctis, beckoning him to look up. When he did, he was met with sparkling indigo eyes and the warmest, sunshine smile. What Noctis wouldn’t do to have that smile aimed at him all the time. “I’ve been looking up flower meanings now, just in case I ever need to get flowers again,” he admitted.

Noctis was taken aback. He’d shown an interest when Noctis had explained the various meanings of different flowers, but he hadn’t expected Prompto to take it to heart as much as he apparently had. “Really?”

“Yeah, dude! I think it’s so interesting,” Prompto was glowing and Noct was hooked, like a reptile basking in the sun, soaking up the heat to warm himself through. “It makes my photography more meaningful if I know more about my subject, you know?”

Noctis nodded, eyes dancing between the freckles splashed on Prompto’s face. Mesmerising. “Yeah,” he breathed.

“Noctis has always loved flowers,” Ignis chimed in, sipping his fresh gin and tonic. “Ever since he was a child.”

Noctis groaned. “No childhood stories. _Please_.”

“But you were such an adorable little brat, Noct!” Gladio bellowed, once again clapping Noct on the back. “Your head always in the clouds. Every time we came over, you were in the garden wondering about all the different flowers you saw.”

Thinking about his childhood was bittersweet. He’d had a good one, sure, but it wasn’t short of tragedy, either. He’d lost his mother at a young age to illness, and although he did love flowers, thinking about them in the context of his youth always tugged a heartstring.

When he’d lost his mother, he’d been inconsolable for months. He still wasn’t the same, honestly. Losing her changed him. He became more cautious, reserved. He had a hard time opening up and connecting with others. He’d lost a lot of that childlike wonder in exchange for pessimism and gloom. Noct had worked on it though, and he still had a ways to go; he was proud of the progress he had made nevertheless. Therapy and friends help, that’s for sure.

“Aww,” Prompto cooed. “I can totally see that.”

Noctis sank in his seat, crossing his arms and looking away from the group in a huff. “Whatever.”

Prompto laughed, and Cindy returned with his drink. She placed a red liquid in front of him, Noct guessed it was cranberry juice mixed with something, then a bowl of garden salad. She walked off with a smile. Prompto took a tentative sip, then spoke again. “So, you’ve all known each other since you were kids?”

Gladio nodded. “Yup. My dad works for Noct’s, and Ignis’ mother does, too. We’ve known Noct since he was born.”

“Wow,” Prompto mused. “Pretty cool how you’re all still so close.”

“Well, we gotta keep an eye on this one,” Gladio ruffled Noct’s already messy black hair. Ignis laughed softly from his seat, sipping his drink contentedly.

“Quit it,” Noct wined, batting fruitlessly at Gladio. Gladio only ruffled further, giving Noct a shove before he stopped. Prompto laughed.

A couple more hours passed, more drinks were drunk and words exchanged. Noctis learned a lot about Prompto in those two hours. His alcohol of choice was vodka, Aranea is his cousin – “So that’s how you know such a famous cosplayer!” – and he was in his first year of a journalism program at the university. Noct also learnt that he lived in the dorms in a coveted single room.

“Those are hard to come by in first year,” Noct said, nodding sagely. “You’re lucky.”

“You bet! The privacy is _so_ nice, and I won’t have any roommate horror stories, thank the Six.” Prompto laughed. “I can stay up as late as I want and not worry about keeping anybody awake with my light on.”

“Not much of a sleeper?” Ignis asked casually. He took a sip of his drink.

Prompto shrugged. “I struggle with it some nights. Just can’t fall asleep. But it’s cool, I game or edit my photos to keep busy.”

“Ah, another gamer.” Gladio looked at Noct, then back at the blond. “What games do you play?”

Prompto laughed a little sheepishly, “Oh, you know… All of them?” He sighed. “I’m willing to play anything, really. First person shooters are kind of a guilty pleasure, but I don’t like admitting that.” He shrugged. “I like RPGs the best.”

Noctis nodded. “I see you’re a man of culture as well.”

Prompto laughed at that. “You bet’cha, buddy.”

Cindy circled back over to the table. “You boys headin’ upstairs tonight?”

They nodded in unison.

“We can take the bill now,” Ignis offered.

“Together,” Noct added, already pulling out his credit card. He was mostly independent from his family’s money – he paid his own rent, at the very least – but his father didn’t mind covering Noct’s social outings. The man wanted to encourage his son to go out with friends without worry, to which Noct was grateful. Not that he went out a lot, anyway, so since it was a rare occurrence he didn’t feel as bad as he could putting outings on his credit card.

Prompto blinked, gawking at the sleek black card. Then, realization dawned on him and he glanced at Noct, a little hesitant. “I can pay my own bill,” he said, voice low.

“Nah,” Noct insisted, waving him off. “My treat.” When Cindy returned with the machine, Noct tapped his card to the screen and the four of them stood up, finishing off their drinks, and headed for the stairs.

Music was already playing, and people were filing in. A bouncer was checking IDs upon entry into the room. The four of them all had theirs ready, and when they were cleared, they ducked into the room.

Normally, Noctis hated crowds. He was the type of person that got incredibly anxious in the downtown square in the shopping district, doing all he could to avoid it. But Emo Night was different. Emo Night felt like a concert, and concert crowds never bothered him. It was a room full of people with a shared interest in the music he liked, and that kinship was enough to put him at ease. Currently, Bring Me the Horizon was playing through the speakers, and a handful of people by the DJ had started a circle pit. Noctis smirked.

“Dude, I’ve missed this so much,” Prompto said, leaning close into Noct’s ear. The atmosphere was much louder upstairs, voices needed to be closer in order to be heard. But the closeness made Noct’s head spin; the rush he felt when Prompto’s breath brushed his skin had him dizzy.

“I haven’t been since the summer,” Noct admitted, head bopping along to Chelsea Smile.

“Me neither!” Prompto agreed, moving in time with the song. He smirked then. “Y’know, I actually remember you from the summer.”

Noct was taken aback at that. Had he heard him right? Noctis would’ve remembered meeting Prompto. “Really?”

“Yeah!” Prompto laughed. “When I was the photographer, I got to see a lot of regulars. I was just too shy to talk to you.”

Noctis blushed, thankful it was too dark to tell. Lights were flashing, both from fixtures and from the current photographer snapping photos of the crowd that had amassed by the stage. “Too shy? You?”

Noctis could barely hear Prompto chuckle softly, sheepishly. He rubbed the back of his neck, then took his flannel off and tied it around his waist. “Dude, yeah.”

“Why?” Gladio and Ignis were nowhere to be seen. Noctis wondered if they’d wandered off to give himself and Prompto alone time. Figures they would.

Prompto looked down, still bumping along to the music. When he looked up, he had a strange glint in his eyes, a shy smile. “Have you seen yourself?”

Noctis didn’t know what to make of that response. Sure, he’d seen himself. There wasn’t anything special about him or anything. He was awkward, and tended to hang by the walls of the venue with Gladio and Ignis. He can’t imagine he really stood out much. “What do you mean?”

Prompto wouldn’t meet his eyes. “C’mon, dude, don’t make me say it.”

“Say what?” Noctis was confused, but he pressed on. He moved in closer to Prompto, guiding him away from the stage and nearer to the bar.

“You’re really cute, Noctis,” Prompto finally said. He offered a smile, then brushed past Noct and waved at the bartender. “Vodka cranberry, please!” He placed a bill on the bar. “What do you want, Noct? My treat.”

Noctis was absolutely floored. He’d spent all this time imagining that sunshine smile, thinking about how warm Prompto made him feel, thinking that he was getting way ahead of himself with this whole crush thing. Yet there Prompto was, in all his sunshine glory, thinking _Noctis_ was _cute_? He couldn’t believe it. His face was beet red, his throat dry. He gawked at Prompto, mouth agape and eyes wide.

“Noct?” Prompto tilted his head. Astrals, _he_ was the cute one.

“You’re cute too,” Noctis replied, ignoring the question. He ran a hand through his hair nervously.

Prompto laughed. “Thanks, dude.” He gestured to the bar. “What do you want to drink?”

Noctis was beer’d-out at this point. “Whisky sour, thanks.”

The bartender made quick work of their drinks, took the bill and kept the change as a tip, and handed them both two glasses. She offered a wide grin to them both. “Enjoy your night.”

“So…” Noctis drawled, taking one long sip of his drink before speaking.

“So,” Prompto agreed, taking a sip of his own drink. He seemed giddy, all toothy grins and glazed-over eyes. Maybe it was the alcohol. Fuck, Noctis was starting to feel it, too.

“Where’d Gladio and Ignis go?” Noct wondered, forcing himself to sound casual. He was still reeling at Prompto’s confession, but they seemed to be tiptoeing around that for now.

“I think I see the big guy in the pit,” Prompto laughed, pointing. Sure enough, Gladio was having the time of his life bouncing around a bunch of other dudes in a circle to Bring Me the fucking Horizon. It brought back some memories of going to shows in high school with Gladio and Ignis. Gladio always wanted to be in the pit, and Noctis didn’t hate it – he’d had a lot of fun every time, really – but Ignis wasn’t the biggest fan of them. Still, he always humoured Gladio’s whims. Like Noctis, he was always getting dragged into things, too.

“They’re really nice guys,” Prompto mused. “I can tell they care about you.”

Noctis shrugged. “Yeah, really annoying, too.” He took another swig, then sighed. “They just worry about me. A little too much, I think.”

Prompto nodded. “I can see that, honestly. Felt like an interrogation down there, but it was still fun anyway.” He beamed.

The song came to an end and the DJ announced they were gonna slow things down. It wasn’t a lie, because sure enough, From First to Last’s “Emily” was blasting, that familiar guitar riff filling Noct’s ears. Noctis groaned, reminded of the fact that it was one of the first covers he ever posted online, but a nostalgic smile still took its place on his lips.

“I’m glad it was fun,” Noctis admitted, and he meant it. “I told them to go easy on you, and they were mostly behaved.”

Prompto hummed a response, then led Noctis back into the crowd. He took Noct’s hand in his, and heat shot through Noct’s entire body as if he’d just put his hand to flame. Prompto shone as bright as the sun, and Noct was reduced to ashes in his wake. He allowed himself to be tugged, hyper-aware of the sensation of his hand in Prompto’s. His whole body flushed.

“I love this song!” Prompto called, instantly diving into mouthing the lyrics. He never let go of Noct’s hand for the entirety of the song.

Noct caught himself watching Prompto, hands entwined. He watched Prompto’s eyes, how they sparkled, and it reminded him of the song. _His sparkling eyes make me weak at my words, they tremble._ There he goes being a sap again.

When the song finished, Prompto let go of Noct’s hand, stepping back a bit. “Oh, sorry,” he muttered, barely audible over the next song. They sped things back up with Miss Murder.

“No worries,” Noctis insisted, having half the mind to reach out for his hand again. Instead, he busied himself with his drink. Knocking back the rest of it.

Prompto took a long swig of his own drink, tilting his head when the contents were nothing but ice cubes. “Want another?”

“If you let me pay for this round, yeah.”

Prompto beamed. “Sure.”

They mouthed along to the song, heads bouncing to the beat, as they walked back to the bar, hands brushing every so often they were so close. Noctis was permanently flushed now, a result of the alcohol, but Prompto had to be responsible, too. They ordered another round of the same, this time Noctis paying, and instead made their way to one of the tables where Gladio and Ignis were now sitting.

“There you two are,” Ignis announced, as if Noctis didn’t know the pair of them had _deliberately_ left Noctis and Prompto to their own devices. “Having fun?”

Prompto nodded emphatically, and Noctis did, too. They were both smiling. “Yup!” Prompto beamed.

“Gladio tired himself out early on, but don’t let us stop you from getting in there,” Ignis assured. Gladio guffawed, then knocked back a sip of beer. He shrugged.

Noctis rolled his eyes. “Let’s leave the losers be, Prom,” Noctis said, using a nickname before even realizing it He’d heard Cindy call him that earlier, and hoped he wasn’t overstepping by calling Prompto that now.

By Prompto’s reaction, it was a welcomed utterance. The blond grinned, eyes shining. “Sure,” he breathed, this time Noctis leading the way back near the stage. The photographer was snapping photos still, and Noctis wondered if he’d end up on the Instagram page with Prompto, instead of his usual appearances with just Gladio and Ignis. Noctis hesitantly grabbed Prompto’s hand, and when Prompto gave it a little squeeze, a burst of confidence surged through Noct’s veins.

A new song started playing: Teenagers by My Chemical Romance. The entire venue went absolutely _nuts_. Prompto and Noctis looked each other dead in the eye and started shouting the lyrics to each other. Noctis couldn’t remember the last time he’d enjoyed himself this much, the last time he’d let himself be swept up by a moment. He banged his head along with Prompto, belting out an anthem.

Several more songs played, all of them recognized by the two boys, lyrics were shouted and they even joined the pit for a short while, laughing as they ran and pushed and were shoved in return. Noct was having the time of his life, all smiles, basking in the light that was Prompto Argentum.

When things slowed down again, Prompto’s face took a serious nature.

“So about earlier…” Prompto breathed. They were leaning against the bar now, Dashboard Confessional playing through the speakers. Vindicated.

Noct was staring into his glass. The alcohol was starting to get to him, especially now that they’d stopped moving. He was a little clumsy on his feet, and he felt too hot. “Yeah?”

“When I said you were cute,” Prompto clarified.

Noct said nothing, allowing the other to continue.

“I… I meant it in that… Like… Ugh.” Prompto was struggling to find the words. “Maybe it’s too soon, but I don’t care. There’s something between us, I can feel it. You’re cute, you’re funny… And I wanna get to know you better.”

Prompto’s words didn’t register right away. Noct had a lazy smile on his face. His head bobbed along to the song currently playing. Then it hit him. Prompto was confessing to him. _Oh._ Butterflies once again found their way inside his stomach. It was almost laughable, hearing Prompto say out loud everything that Noctis had been thinking since they met. A smile returned to Noct’s face then, and he tentatively placed his hand on top of Prompto’s. Heat pooled in his belly, and he tried to ignore how nervous it made him feel to initiate contact. “Me too,” Noctis echoed. “I’m having a lot of fun with you.”

“I am too,” Prompto smiled at Noctis. It wasn’t as wide or toothy, but it was soft and just as warm. Noct’s face felt impossibly hotter.

The pair rejoined with Gladio and Ignis, dragging the older men back into the pit and shoving each other around for a Silverstein song. Ignis wasn’t as thrilled as Gladio was, but Noctis could tell his spectacled friend was still having a good time regardless. They moshed and headbanged through the night, losing count of how many drinks they’d had, until last call was announced.

Holy fuck, was it already that late? Noctis chanced a worried look at Prompto. The university campus dorms were a bit of a walk from here, much farther away than Noct’s apartment was, and in their drunken state, he wasn’t convinced Prompto would make it home in one piece, if at all. Gladio and Ignis were mother henning, as Noct called it, guiding both Noct and Prompto away from the crowd and toward the stairs. The older two helped the younger two take to the stairs slowly and carefully, minding every step.

“Prom,” Noct said, voice slurring, “you’re not gonna make it to the dorms.”

“Sure I will!” Prompto slurred back. Gladio snorted as Prompto lost his footing and nearly fell, if not for Ignis catching him.

“Prom,” Noct repeated his nickname. He liked the way it rolled off his tongue. “You should come home with me.”

Ignis made a choking sound, and Gladio whooped.

“You sure?” Prompto’s face went serious. They’d made it to the entrance of the venue, waving to the bouncer. “Like, really sure?”

“Yeah,” Noct said like it was obvious, confused why Prompto would even question it. “I live around the corner. Be easier for you to crash here.”

“You owe me $50,” Gladio muttered to Ignis in a hushed voice, but Noctis had heard.

“What’s the bet?” His eyes narrowed.

Ignis sighed, but Gladio, the winner, was proud to answer. “We bet on who’d ask who home.”

Noctis pouted, then looked over at Prompto who was staring right at him. Noctis blushed, averting his gaze. “Oh.”

“Let’s get you two home, then,” Ignis declared, guiding the two down the street.

The cool night air was crisp, sending a bit of a chill through Noctis. He shivered. Ignis and Gladio and Prompto were all lucky, they’d come prepared with long-sleeves.

Then Noctis felt something soft and warm around his shoulders. He turned his head to see Prompto draping his flannel around him.

The blond smiled sheepishly. “You looked cold, dude.”

“Thanks,” Noctis whispered, reaching his hands to pull the shirt around him tighter.

They walked on for a few short minutes until they reached Noct’s apartment building.

“Are you two okay to make it from here?” Gladio asked.

“Yeah, yeah,” Noct waved them off, already fishing his keys out of his pocket. He flashed his fob on the entrance door’s reader and called a goodnight to Ignis and Gladio.

“Nice meeting you!” Prompto said over his shoulder, following Noctis into the building.

The walk had sobered Noct up, if only slightly; he still found himself stumbling ever so slightly, but his mind felt mostly clear. The reality of the situation was dawning on him. He just invited a cute boy into his apartment, a cute boy that also thinks he’s cute.

Fuck.

Noctis tried not to think about any of the implications, focusing only on the task at hand: getting to the elevator, pressing the button that corresponded to his floor, and unlocking his apartment door. They moved in relative silence, Prompto humming a song that Noctis quickly recognized as the one he’d recommended.

“Yellow Love?” Noctis asked, perking up a bit. His cheeks were rosy.

“Yeah,” Prompto replied. “Really cool band. Thanks for sharing them with me.”

As the elevator ascended, the lyrics rang through Noct’s head.

_Be mine, shake up my love._

_Yellow night has had enough._

_It’s been out way too long._

_I see nothing but yellow love_

_Love, my love._

_Love, my love._

_Love, my love._

_Love, my love._

_Be mine, pull me in two._

_I will mold myself just for you._

_The night is vivid for once,_

_Still I see nothing but yellow love._

_Love, my love._

_Love, my love._

_Love, my love._

_Love, my love._

_All I feel is celestial desire._

_A distant joy is dancing all around me._

_All I see is yellow in the spring air._

_How beautifully the colour worked itself in._

Something surged within Noctis then, as the elevator doors opened. He grabbed Prompto’s hand in a haste, darting for his apartment down the hall. Prompto stumbled but kept pace, chuckling nervously. Noct fumbled with his keys, one hand still gripping the blond’s. When the door swung open, he pulled Prompto in and pressed him against the wall, closing the distance.

Noct’s lips came crashing into Prompto’s. His keys lay discarded on the floor, dropped instantly. Free hands found their way up into blond locks, tugging ever so slightly. Noctis felt arms snake around his waist, pulling him in ever closer, Prompto returning the kiss in kind. It gave Noctis a rush, the feeling of their bodies held so flush together. Noct’s phone buzzed in his pocket but he ignored it, focusing all his attention on the blond in his grasp. He opened his mouth ever so slightly, swiping his tongue along Prompto’s lip, eliciting a low moan from the blond. Noctis smirked into the kiss, pressing on.

Prompto’s hands slid up into Noct’s shirt, just as Noctis bit on Prompto’s lip. A gasp came from Prompto, followed by a chuckle. Noctis pulled away to look at him; the blond’s smile was _so_ fucking cute. His lips curled into a smirk, eyes barely able to hold Prompto’s indigo gaze.

Prompto closed the distance once more, pressing his lips eagerly to Noct’s.

Eventually, the pair had peeled away from each other long enough to make their way to Noct’s bedroom. Shirts and pants had been discarded to Astrals knew where, leaving them both half naked on Noct’s bed. His head was swimming, but he felt the haze clearing from his head, reality dawning on him once again. Were they going to share a bed? They had to, right? Noct was okay with that, but it was still a little nerve wracking. It didn’t make him any less jittery, though. Noctis had a nightmare problem, and he worried they’d rear their ugly head tonight, despite the alcohol. And then there was the fact that his body was nearly fully on display, scars and all. He eyed his legs, marred in marks from years past. Boxers weren’t as long as a regular pair of shorts, unfortunately.

“You okay?” Prompto asked then, tilting his head. He hesitantly reached for Noct’s hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“Yeah, I just…” Noct ran a hand through his hair, swallowing. He took a deep breath, looking anywhere but at Prompto, until his eyes fell upon his guitar. Music always made him feel better, and maybe he could try and impress Prompto to take his mind off of being so physically exposed. He could expose himself in a different way. “Mind if I play a bit?”

Prompto’s eyes widened, following Noct’s gaze. Then, with a grin, he replied, “Not at all, dude. I’d love that, actually.”

Noctis nodded, standing up to retrieve his guitar before sitting back down on the bed. He tested the strings, checking to make sure everything was in tune. Satisfied, he went for a favourite song of his. He played a quick riff before the lyrics started.

“Hello sunshine,” he sang, “what’s your name today?” He played on, singing the words and totally lost in the song. Music was the way Noctis connected with the world, the way he related to others and expressed himself. It wasn’t perfect, but he hoped the song got his feelings across.

“Hello stranger, we haven’t had a past. But now I’ve learned so much, so much yeah, time’s going by so fast,

“Hello beautiful,” his voice grew louder, “it’s so obvious that you’re hearing every word I say, you know, you know, that I’ve got a lot to talk about if you still wanna listen, or if you even care.

“I’m just trying to find my place in this world and I know it’s not too right to feel this way about a _boy_ but if you stay or if you go I’m right there with you.

“But you know that I'm looking for more than a pretty smile, and if I'm lucky you can stay for a while. But if you stay or if you go, I'm just hanging on again.”

Noctis strummed away, putting his all into the song, and miraculously, despite the alcohol, he barely fumbled on the chords at all. “How I’d love to say, how I’d love to say…

“That I’m glad I’ve found my place in this world and it’s so right to feel this way about a _boy_ , but…” He continued to sing and play, tapping his foot to keep the rhythm. “…Hello sunshine,” he finished the final chord and was afraid to look up, nervous to be so vulnerable in a different way.

He didn’t need to see Prompto to gain a response, though. Instead, he heard applause and a one-man cheer. “That was incredible,” Prompto reeled, breathless. “Like, dude, you’re _amazing_.”

Noctis flushed, then shrugged, standing up to put his guitar back on the stand in the corner of his room. He swallowed. “Yeah?”

“Yeah!” Prompto exclaimed. “Wish I had my camera with me, honestly…”

Noctis blushed further, not meeting Prompto’s gaze. “Next time.”

Prompto smiled, agreeing. “Next time.”

Stretching, Noctis released a yawn. Now came the awkward reality. “So… You’re cool to stay the night, right?”

“Wouldn’t be here half-naked if I wasn’t,” Prompto chuckled sheepishly. “Yeah, it’s cool. You don’t mind sharing your bed?”

Noctis shook his head. He pondered whether or not to warn Prompto of his sleep habits. On one hand, he didn’t want to admit he was plagued by nightmares. On the other hand, he’d be more embarrassed if he woke Prompto up from having one without letting the blond know. Sighing, he made his decision. “I, uh, I get nightmares sometimes,” he explained, “like pretty bad.”

Prompto hummed, inching a little closer. “You worried you might have one tonight?”

Noctis shrugged. “Maybe. Usually when I go to bed drunk they’re not so bad, but it’s not a certainty.”

“You’re safe with me,” Prompto assured. That all-too-familiar warmth pooled in the pit of Noct’s stomach once more, swirling. He rubbed his neck.

“Thanks,” he whispered.

Prompto lifted the covers and slid underneath, patting the space in front of him. “Come in,” he invited, grinning.

Obliging, Noctis shifted on the bed, crawling over to Prompto and under she sheets. He nestled in close, allowing himself to be spooned by Prompto. It felt nice. Really nice. “Sorry if I wake you up screaming or something,” Noct apologised.

“That bad, huh?” Prompto wrapped an arm around Noctis, pulling him closer into his chest. “That’s awful.” He swallowed. “Do you wanna talk about them? Anything else I can do to help?”

Noctis shrank. “Not really,” he admitted, answering both questions. His nightmares varied from very real and triggering memories of an ill mother, slipping away with her arms around his eight-year-old body in a hospital bed, to Lovecraftian horrors. He’d take the ghoulish nightmares over the ones about his mother any day. Still, he’d never really talked about his nightmares to anyone except for his therapist, so he wasn’t ready to tell Prompto. At least not yet. “Thanks, though.” 

“It’s no sweat, dude. I’m here.” Prompto was so reassuring, Noctis felt safe in his embrace. It was a mystery how Noctis had managed to connect so easily with Prompto when he’d failed for the majority of his life to connect to anyone meaningfully other than Luna, Gladio and Ignis, his closest friends. Luna! Oh, Noctis couldn’t wait to tell her all about Prompto. Where he was more reserved around Gladio and Ignis when it came to his crushes, he was much more comfortable to gush about them to Luna. Luna never teased, always encouraged him to feel his feelings. Not that Gladio and Ignis didn’t encourage him, too, but there was something different about the relationship he had with Luna. Maybe communicating through text facilitated it, made Noctis more at ease. Luna would adore Prompto, he was sure of it.

“Thank you, really,” Noctis emphasised. He placed his hand on Prompto’s arm, holding tightly. He reached to his nightstand with his free hand, flicking the lamp off.

“Goodnight, Noct,” Prompto whispered into his hair.

“Night, Prom,” Noctis replied. His eyes fluttered closed and sleep found him almost instantly.

Noctis stirred awake, bleary eyed and groggy. He’d meant to take an Advil before sleeping, but couldn’t be bothered the night prior. He also should’ve at least downed a glass of water, his mouth was so dry. He shifted, pleased to still be in Prompto’s warm grasp. He felt Prompto move behind him.

“You awake?” Prompto whispered.

“Yeah,” Noct answered, “Morning, sunshine.”

Prompto choked, and Noct chuckled. Prompto squeezed Noctis tighter, buried his face in the crook of Noct’s neck. “That’s gay,” he laughed.

“You’re gay,” Noctis replied easily. He smiled to himself. Being with Prompto felt so easy, it was hard to believe they’d only known each other for such a short period of time.

“Last night was fun,” Prompto said, propping his head up with his free hand.

“Yeah,” Noctis agreed. Then he remembered he’d left a message – probably Ignis – unanswered last night. He abruptly shot out of bed and scavenged for his phone. He didn’t find his right away, but he did find Prompto’s. He tossed it gently to the bed, continuing the search for his. Then, there it was, still in his jeans pocket. He slid it out from its confines and checked his notifications. Sure enough, he had a text from Ignis, and one from Gladio.

**Ignis [3:32 AM]:** Do get home safely. Message me in the morning.

**Gladio [3:35 AM]:** Be safe!

Noctis rolled his eyes. He typed a quick response to Ignis, deciding to ignore Gladio.

**Noct [11:12 PM]:** we managed. slept like a rock

Then, one to Luna.

**Noct [11:12 PM]:** i met someone and he slept over last night

He placed his phone on the nightstand and crawled back into the warmth of his bed, of Prompto.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” Prompto smiled. “You’re a heavier sleepy than I thought you’d be.”

Noct shrugged. “Once I’m out, I’m out. Most of the time, anyway.”

“I’m such a light sleeper, but I slept really well last night,” Prompto admitted. “Y’know, it’s nice to have a room to myself, but it’s also nice to, like, sleep next to someone. It’s comforting.”

Noctis hummed. “Yeah. It is.” He felt himself drifting back to sleep. He rolled over, nestling into Prompto’s chest. Prompto chuckled, wrapping an arm around him and pressing his lips to Noct’s hair. Noct blushed, relieved his face was hidden.

“Still sleepy?”

“Mhm.”

“Get some more sleep, then. I’ll be here.”

_I’ll be here._ It made Noctis feel so warm to hear those words. Basking in Prompto’s warmth, sleep took Noctis one more time.

He only slept for another hour, but it was a pleasant hour. He had a peculiar dream of summoning weapons from thin air and riding chocobos in the wilderness, chasing down enemies alongside Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto, too. The car they drove in he recognised as his father’s black Maserati. The four of them went on all sorts of adventures in the hour that Noctis slept, and it felt nice. He awoke with a smile on his face, blinking his eyes open. The grogginess had vanished now, and he was satisfied to wake up properly.

“Better?” Prompto asked, finger swiping along his phone. He was surfing through Instagram, it looked like.

“Better,” Noctis agreed, sitting up and stretching. “Wanna go somewhere for breakfast?”

They got dressed in the clothes they wore yesterday, phones half dead in their pockets, Noctis leading the way to a little diner just down the street. It was his go-to for hangover food, the greasiness the perfect cure.

“My treat,” Noctis insisted when they slid into a booth.

Prompto grumbled. “Again?”

“Yup.”

The blond relented. “Fine, but I’m getting the next bill.”

Noctis smiled. He was glad there’d be a next time. Making plans, having things to look forward to, this was all advice his therapist and rammed into his head. It’s important to have goals and aspirations and things to be excited about. Noct hadn’t really been following that advice lately, and maybe his friends had been right to worry that he was falling into another slump. Then Prompto came along, and his whole world lit up. It was the beginning of a new era for Noctis, as he felt himself growing toward the sun. He had someone new in his life, someone he could spend time with getting to know, someone he could have fun with, someone he could even be affectionate with, despite how new they were. It was incredible, really. And he couldn’t wait to get to know the blond even more.

“Sure,” Noctis replied, smirking. “Next bill is yours.”

**Author's Note:**

> if anybody from toronto reads this yes emo night is a real thing yes it takes place at sneaky dee's yes i used to go there all the time


End file.
